Jesus says: “Do you
see this woman? I entered your house. You gave me no water for My
feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
You gave Me no kiss of greeting, but from the time I entered she has not
stopped kissing My feet. You did not anoint My head with oil, but she has
anointed My feet with perfumed oil” (Luke 7:44-46). With this, Jesus makes it
clear that this man had acted improperly towards Him, and that the woman was
making up for the slighting.
In a sense, it can be
said that by shaming herself at Jesus’ expense, she was attempting to enter
into the indignities to which Jesus was being subjected. As this is
considered, it is almost impossible to not think of the Apostle Paul’s letter
to the Colossian church, in which he writes, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings
for you, and I fill up in my physical body---for the sake of His body, the
church---what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ” (Colossians 1:24).
Jesus then provides
proof that He knew precisely what type of woman this was that was touching Him,
by going on to say “Therefore I tell you, her sins, which were many, are
forgiven, thus she loved much” (7:47a). This did not call for
supernatural insight. Her expression of love was all He needed to see to
confirm the forgiveness which she felt. Much is spoken in these
words. One must notice that Jesus provides a sense of time and distance
with His words.
Even though Luke immediately
goes on to write “Then Jesus said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven’” (7:48), His
words concerning her response indicate that this was a reiteration of something
that she had already experienced. In regards to what she had done at the
feet of Jesus, He said that “she loved much,” indicating that the acts of love
(as one must not forget the suffering and shame associated with those acts)
were in response to the fact that she had already had a sense of forgiveness,
and had already passed into the kingdom of Israel’s God. Jesus did not
need to inform her that her sins were forgiven, as she already knew.
Clearly then, the
words were spoken for the benefit of those in attendance at the meal and who
were surrounding Him at the table. The reader can apprehend this when we moving
along to find “But those who were at the table with Him began to say among
themselves, ‘Who is this, who even forgives sins?’” (7:49) Why would this
be said? It would be said because forgiveness of sins was provided at the
Temple and was the domain of the Temple. One could certainly be absolved
of sin (failing to rightly bear the divine image, failing to live up to the
obligations of the covenant), but only by presenting a sacrifice at and for the
Temple. With these simple words, Jesus demonstrates that He believes
Himself to be Messiah---the embodiment of Israel’s God, and therefore the true
Temple.
By extension then,
this woman’s costly act of sacrifice was, in fact, performed at and for the
Temple. This allows an observer to understand the full import and impact
of His words when He says to the woman that “Your faith has saved you; go in
peace” (7:50). Were not these words the words that would be spoken to
those who had brought their sacrifices to the Temple, so as to receive
confirmation of their forgiveness and right-standing before the Creator God
there?
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